One of the oldest rivalries in the state is set to kick off this morning.

The Coyle-Cassidy football team travels up the road and across the Taunton River to take on the Tigers in the 83rd edition of “The GAME” today at Aleixo “Tiger” Stadium, beginning at 10 a.m.

Taunton holds a 44-36-2 advantage in the holiday series and is coming off a 48-10 victory in last year’s showdown.

“There is nothing like this game in the state, playing your cross-city rival against a lot of kids you grew up with,” Tigers head coach Chris Greding said. “Everyone will come to this game (on Thursday), no matter what the temperature is. There is nothing like this and hopefully that will not be lost on the kids.”

Taunton has had a roller coaster of a season this fall.

The Tigers began the year 2-0 before dropping their next five games. However, Taunton has bounced back in a big way and will enter the holiday game on a three-game winning streak and a 5-5 record.

The Tigers have already eclipsed their win total from Greding’s first year in 2012, when they went 4-7. A win would allow Taunton to finish above the .500 mark for the first time since 2009.

“There is a lot riding on this game,” Greding said. “We need to beat Coyle-Cassidy to get to 6-5. Our No. 1 goal this year was to finish above .500.”

Kyle Maderia will be under center for Greding’s offense.

C-C will also enter today with momentum, having broken a 16-game losing streak with a 34-6 win over Randolph two weeks ago.

“We can tell the kids all we want about how much they have improved, but until they see it result in a win it is not a reality,” Warriors head coach Tom Pileski said. “We have seven seniors from an original class of 31 freshmen from four years ago. This game is a climax of many of their careers. They made a commitment to play for four years. They fulfilled their commitment. That is extremely important. They should truly feel good about themselves because of that.”

C-C senior running back and co-captain Joshua Cobb needs to run for 100 or more yards to set the school’s single-season rushing record, held by Andrew Rodrigues at 1,256 yards.

Cobb hopes to have a breakout game in his final game in a Warrior uniform.

Tristan Blaisdell should be the starting quarterback for C-C. CJ Malloch and Henry Brechter also figures to be in the mix.

The Warriors are coming off a 420-yard performance on offense.

Pileski’s team will be hard press stopping the Tigers trio of running backs — Domingo Jenkins, Gerald Cortijo and Steven Harrison. Last season, Taunton rolled up 460 yards of offense on the ground.

Page 2 of 2 - Seniors Nicholas Ruiz and Adam Volpe lead the charge on defense for the Tigers.

Greding said the game means a lot to his seniors.

“The culmination of four years of hard work,” he said. “They endured back-to-back 1-9 seasons and they were part of the rebuilding process last year. This is a chance to solidified their legacy.”

For Pileski and Greding, “The GAME” is very special.

“Taking to coach Pileski, his coaching staff, my coaching staff, Mark Ottavianelli and the school administration, it is such a great day,” Greding said. “For 364 days out of the year, we are working together trying to make to make Taunton football as one of the premier places in the state. But this one day, everything is thrown out. Families are divided friendly, I guess. But it’s great and I enjoy all the festivities that comes with it.”

Temperatures will be in the low to upper 30s, making “The GAME” feel like the old days.

So for both teams, the turkey always taste best when the score turns out in their favor.

Best of luck to both Coyle-Cassidy and Taunton — two special high school football teams.